Cellular and biochemical mechanisms underlying circadian rhythms in vertebrates.
Circadian clocks organize neural processes, such as motor activities, into near 24-hour oscillations and adaptively synchronize these rhythms to the solar cycle. Recently, the first mammalian clock genes have been found. Unpredicted diversity in signaling pathways and clock-controlled gating of signals that modulate timekeeping has been discovered. A diffusible clock output has been found to control some behavioral rhythms. Consensus is emerging that circadian mechanisms are conserved across phylogeny, but that mammals have developed a great complexity of controls.
Gillette
M U
MU
Department of Cell and Structural Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801, USA. mgillett@uiuc.edu
D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000502:physiology*